"Nancy," the voice said again and she gradually recognized it as Ned’s.

"Hi," Nancy said closing her eyes.

"I’m so glad you’re awake," Ned said.

Nancy put her hand to her forehead and slowly opened her eyes. She saw branches above her and realized she was still in the woods. "My head hurts."

"Anything else?" Ned asked touching her face.

"No," Nancy said moving her arms and legs slowly. "Can you help me up?"

Ned nodded and helped her to a sitting position. Once she was sitting up, she asked, "What happened?"

"Nathan hit me," Nancy replied gingerly touching the back of her head and wincing.

"Let me see," Ned said moving her hair gently away from the area she was rubbing. "There’s no blood, but you do have a bump."

They heard the sound of twigs breaking and Nancy said, "It’s Nathan."

"No, it isn’t," Joe said squeezing her shoulder. "It’s only Joe."

At that moment, Joe appeared carrying a blanket. He handed the blanket to Ned when he got close and asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Okay, I guess," Nancy replied as Ned wrapped the blanket around her shoulders. "Except for a headache."

"What happened?" Joe asked.

"Nathan took my comment about breaking and entering a little too serious." She looked off into the woods. "He wanted me to tell him how to open a lock."

"Did he know about Frank’s disappearance?" Joe asked.

"I’m sure he knows something," Nancy said. "But he didn’t say anything definite."

As Nancy adjusted the blanket around her shoulders, Joe noticed several red marks on her neck. "What happened to your neck?"

Ned moved to face Nancy and saw the marks Joe was talking about. Nancy said, "Nathan tried strangling me."

"I’ll kill him," Ned said clenching his fists.

"Ned, it’s okay," Nancy said touching his face. "Let’s just get out of here."

"Okay," Ned said then helped Nancy to her feet.

They slowly made their way through the woods. The Hardy’s van was parked on the cliff. Nathan’s blazer was nowhere to be seen.

Nancy asked, "Where’s the rental car?"

"Still at the pizza parlor," Joe said. "The van has more horsepower."

Nancy stopped in front of the van and looked over the cliff into the bay. She could see dark clouds forming in the distance. Ned touched her arm and asked, "What is it?"

"I don’t like the looks of those clouds." She looked at Ned.

"It looks like a storm is brewing," Ned said.

"I know," she said leaning back against him. "But I think I want to come back here once this case is wrapped up and watch the sun set with you."

"It’s a date," Ned said giving her a gentle hug. "Come on."

They got in the van and headed back to town as it started to rain. After a few minutes, Joe asked, "So, what’s our next step."

"We follow Debbie Stellar," Nancy stated. "For some reason, I really think she’s involved."

"But why?" Joe asked.

"I think she needs the good grades to live up to her father’s expectations."

"Are you sure you want to follow her?" Ned asked.

"Actually, we should stake out the school," Nancy said. "There’s a big science test coming up so they’ll probably head back to the school tonight."

"Then we’ll hide inside," Joe said as it started to rain harder. He turned the wipers on and the headlights. "There’s a spot behind the school where we can hide the van."

"Let’s go to the hotel so I can change clothes first," Nancy said.

"Maybe we can grab some dinner," Ned said as his stomach growled. "Who knows if we’ll get any action tonight."

"Good idea," Joe said.

*****

That evening, they ate dinner in Nancy’s hotel room. Joe went for fast food while she showered and changed. They watched the evening news before heading for the school. The weather report said a hurricane warning had been issued for the Bayport area when a storm had changed direction.

Joe said, "We get warnings all the time. There’s nothing to worry about."

"Good," Nancy said glancing at her watch. "We better head over to the school."

Joe drove to the high school and parked beside the gym. The trees hid the van from view. They snuck into the gym and down the main hallway. Joe volunteered to stay on the first floor while Nancy and Ned hid themselves in the science lab. All of them had earplugs and a hand held radio to communicate with each other.

Nancy sat down beside one of the storage cabinets with Ned on the other side. Ned whispered, "Do you really think they’ll show up tonight?"

"I’m not positive, but there’s no other way to catch them."

"Guys," Joe’s voice came over the radio. "It’s quiet down here."

"Let us know as soon as anyone comes in," Ned said.

"What happens if they don’t show?" Joe asked. "I’ll have wasted an entire evening."

"You need that much sleep?" Ned asked jokingly.

"It takes a lot of effort to be the adorable and handsome Joe Hardy," he replied.

Nancy took the radio from Ned. "Just don’t fall asleep, Joe. You need to warn us when they get here."

"Okay."

As they waited, they could hear the wind howling and the rain hitting the window harder than earlier. Ned put his arm around Nancy’s shoulder and she said, "I didn’t think we’d be doing this when we came here."

"It’s all right," Ned said. "It doesn’t matter as long as we are together."

"I can’t wait until we set a wedding date," Nancy said taking Ned’s hand that was wrapped around her shoulder. "We can finally start planning the wedding."

"We can start making plans now if you want," Ned said. "Have you found a wedding dress yet?"

"A few have caught my eye," Nancy said. "But I haven’t found the right one, yet."

"You will."

At that moment they heard the radio crackle and Joe said, "Get ready, we have visitors."

Nancy moved up to the teacher’s desk and hid underneath it as Ned stayed by the cabinet. Nancy listened and heard the squeaking shoes coming down the hall. She heard the door open and movement coming toward the desk. She heard the footsteps stop and could see the glow from the computer reflected on the chalkboard once the computer was turned on.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" a female voice asked. "Don’t you think we should’ve waited?"

"No," a male voice said. "You need this for your test on Friday. You know you’ll fail without it."

"But we were almost caught last time," the female voice said.

"But we weren’t," the male voice said. "Will you just relax."

Nancy recognized the sound of typing and peered around the desk. She could make out someone’s legs, but it was too dark to see who it was.

"Debbie, you need to relax. No one knows you’ve been cheating."

"I think someone does. There was a girl in my dad’s office today and he said she was asking questions about me."

"Who cares?"

"I do, Nathan," Debbie said. "If my father ever found out I was cheating, he would disown me."

"Give me a break," Nathan said. "He will never know. You’ve gotten away with stealing tests before. Now that the teachers keep their tests on disks, it’s easier to gain access. When I get finished, you’ll have all the tests for the rest of the year, including the final."

Nancy could hear the wind getting louder. She wondered if Ned heard everything Nathan and Debbie had said.

"I have to admit," Debbie said, "Your idea to put graffiti on the gym walls and hide those computers was a good one. The cops had no idea it was to cover up us stealing the tests."

"I think it was a brilliant idea," Nathan gloated.

There was silence, then Debbie said, "I really think we’re going to get hit by the hurricane. I just hope the shed holds together."

"Even if it doesn’t, who care?"

"Look, I didn’t plan to kill anyone."

"Where are your guts?" Nathan yelled. "Just remember I know your secret."

Nancy knew this was her only chance to confront them. She pushed the chair out and heard the sound of breaking glass.

Debbie said, "We need to get out of here."

Nancy got to her feet and said, "You’re not going anywhere."